Summer Associate Class of 2016 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Will give you guys a funny, related story.

Suck-up summer at my big NYC firm bought a top partner a box of chocolates worth ~$150. Summer decides to expense chocolates, using an associate's name. Associate is contacted to verify; knows nothing. Partner is told story. Ruh roh.

Hahah what happened to said summer?

I mean nothing. Just pretty hilarious.

[lavarman84]

Will give you guys a funny, related story.

Suck-up summer at my big NYC firm bought a top partner a box of chocolates worth ~$150. Summer decides to expense chocolates, using an associate's name. Associate is contacted to verify; knows nothing. Partner is told story. Ruh roh.

Anyone dumb enough to expense that deserves a no-offer.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any experiences with firms that make you wait to hear whether you receive an offer? Is there a generally a good indication by the last day if you're good?

[El Pollito]

Chocolates story sounds fake. You would 100% get fired for that.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah, if you are made to wait after SA for an offer (based on firm-wide policy or whatever), will your office generally give you strong hints about your offer?

We have exit interviews on our 2nd to last day.

[Bluem_11]

Yeah, if you are made to wait after SA for an offer (based on firm-wide policy or whatever), will your office generally give you strong hints about your offer?

We have exit interviews on our 2nd to last day.

That's really particular to your firm. Is it BigLaw, a small firm, how they do their decision making etc.

In general, and I understand it's hard, you can probably chill about it. No-offers will usually have leading indicators. Did you individually get singled out in negative ways relative to your class? Did you have issues completing a substantial portion of the assignments? Did you sleep with a partner's daughter (this has happened)? Are there signs of recent financial turmoil at the firm (you're a 50 lawyer firm and your Fortune 10 client just walked)?

Barring something like that, I wouldn't spend all night eyes open wide. As always when job hunting though in this market, the odd resume mail doesn't hurt either.

[Anonymous User]

Oh I have no idea if our firm will make us wait, I didn't mean to suggest that I think that will definitely happen (by all accounts last year offers were given on the last day, but that hasn't been the case in all past years). I've heard that if there is ever a no-offer in any office, it delays the offer date for all offices. It's v50, biglaw.

The SAs in our office seem to all be well-liked, I think we all do good work and are sociable.

[Anonymous User]

What typically happens in an exit interview?

[Vexed]

What typically happens in an exit interview?

Mine was just one bit of "you can work on this, but we get that this is hard as a summer blah blah blah" constructive feedback, some "everybody thinks you're great!" type stuff, and then a bunch of "tell us about the summer program - what did you like, what didn't you like, etc.". Felt like a formality.

[pancakes3]

the "I have a bad paralegal" thread reminded me - there was a summer that wouldn't shut up about how lazy his para was and kept on talking about wanting to fire her. it was uncomfortable. tried to laugh it off and switch the topic of conversation but he doubled down. it was uncomfortable.

[Anonymous User]

Oh I have no idea if our firm will make us wait, I didn't mean to suggest that I think that will definitely happen (by all accounts last year offers were given on the last day, but that hasn't been the case in all past years). I've heard that if there is ever a no-offer in any office, it delays the offer date for all offices. It's v50, biglaw.

The SAs in our office seem to all be well-liked, I think we all do good work and are sociable.

Depends on the firm. My firm doesn't give out offers for like a month after SA finished just because of administrative stuff, and SAs in different offices got calls on different days when they did go out. So there was mild panic attacks when people got offers like 2-3 days before others and messaged everyone else about it.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

the "I have a bad paralegal" thread reminded me - there was a summer that wouldn't shut up about how lazy his para was and kept on talking about wanting to fire her. it was uncomfortable. tried to laugh it off and switch the topic of conversation but he doubled down. it was uncomfortable.

rofl, and he'll probably never realize why the paralegals keep telling him they don't have any bandwidth to work on his stuff. I was a paralegal and this dude will never get help, or will get deliberately shitty help. It's even better when the paralegal does good work for everyone else so when dumbass here complains, the para will just bat their eyes and play innocent while Junior Douche looks like an ass.

[Anonymous User]

i dont have a paralegal assigned to me and apparently even file clerks or paralegals are more important than me because i got sent out to do literally legwork- getting permit/ pick up document/ get case files. and I dont have a problem with that I'm this redundancy staff during summer. i mean.

[PeanutsNJam]

You're getting paid 3500/week to walk around. And you're complaining? Just lol.

[lavarman84]

What typically happens in an exit interview?

Who gives the exit interview? I don't think I had one.

the "I have a bad paralegal" thread reminded me - there was a summer that wouldn't shut up about how lazy his para was and kept on talking about wanting to fire her. it was uncomfortable. tried to laugh it off and switch the topic of conversation but he doubled down. it was uncomfortable.

Y'all get paralegals? What do you even use them for?

[Anonymous User]

the "I have a bad paralegal" thread reminded me - there was a summer that wouldn't shut up about how lazy his para was and kept on talking about wanting to fire her. it was uncomfortable. tried to laugh it off and switch the topic of conversation but he doubled down. it was uncomfortable.

Y'all get paralegals? What do you even use them for?

reimbursements

[PennBull]

the "I have a bad paralegal" thread reminded me - there was a summer that wouldn't shut up about how lazy his para was and kept on talking about wanting to fire her. it was uncomfortable. tried to laugh it off and switch the topic of conversation but he doubled down. it was uncomfortable.

Y'all get paralegals? What do you even use them for?

reimbursements

Either you're confusing paralegals for secretaries or you're an asshole trying to get a para to do your personal shit

[anyriotgirl]

paralegals are great. they know how things work, and if you ask nicely they will teach you and then you can pretend to be competent

[lavarman84]

paralegals are great. they know how things work, and if you ask nicely they will teach you and then you can pretend to be competent

I have no doubt that they're useful in practice. But I can't think of any summer assignments that I'd ask a paralegal for help on. They all seem pretty busy, and my assignments basically were research and writing. I know how to do both those things.(although, that doesn't necessarily mean I can do either particularly well)

[cannibal ox]

The paralegals and librarians are more competent and know more law than I ever will.

[star fox]

paralegals are great. they know how things work, and if you ask nicely they will teach you and then you can pretend to be competent

I have no doubt that they're useful in practice. But I can't think of any summer assignments that I'd ask a paralegal for help on. They all seem pretty busy, and my assignments basically were research and writing. I know how to do both those things.(although, that doesn't necessarily mean I can do either particularly well)

They're good if you ever need organizational charts and such.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else get offers yesterday? Super excited. This feels like the culmination of 2+ years of hard work.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else get offers yesterday? Super excited. This feels like the culmination of 2+ years of hard work.

congrats! I won't hear back for a couple weeks, but things look good. I feel the same way about the culmination of hard work. However, it's kinda funny that all this hard work is for the opportunity to put in a lot more hard work. At least we get paid now.

[Anonymous User]

[delete - double post]

[lavarman84]

Anyone else get offers yesterday? Super excited. This feels like the culmination of 2+ years of hard work.

I haven't officially gotten it. But I know I'm getting one. It's a win-win for the firm to offer me.